For this week's project, I decided to look at ten different high schools in the St. Louis metropolitan areas to see if they were displaying their databases in a logical and, most importantly, appealing manner to students. The results of my study were highly disappointing. While each school library posted their online databases, only one (Timberland) had directions on how to access them and unfortunately also included the passwords in its instructions. Below, you can find a review of five of the library websites, an overview of my investigation, and a spreadsheet that details which databases can be found online at these ten schools.
Five Schools, Five Different Setups
For this section, I decided to include five different schools (listed in no particular order) that set their databases up in different manners. Click on each school's name to access its library's home page.
While I do work at Hazelwood West, I was able to approach this review in a completely objective manner. I will not be trying to make my school look like a model program that has a library site that outshines all others. In fact, the opposite may be true. As opposed to labeling the databases as what they are on the library's homepage (which due to district technology department restrictions is as bland as can be), they are labeled as the West Electronic Reference Center. This will only confuse students. Once you get to that page, databases are presented in a confusing list that follows no pattern. The databases can be accessed by clicking either on a picture or a hyperlink, which is a nice touch, but it all appears to be a jumbled mess of confusion. However, at least the links to these databases are annotated, which gives students at least some chance of deciding which one to use.
I chose to look at Lindbergh's library website since I know that this school is one of the better performing high schools in the St. Louis area. What first struck me was the ease of use on this website. Things are marked clearly and it is a much more attractive homepage than the list version provided by the Hazelwood Schools website. Clicking on the Databases & Links tab redirects users to a new page where the school's databases can be found. As opposed to using a simple list, the library staff decided to present the links using a web 2.0 tool called Symbaloo. I have used Symbaloo on my class website and in web design classes, so I am familiar with the program. Overall, this was well done, with a good color coding scheme that arranges resources into databases, external links, and ebooks. I realize this because I am familiar with Symbaloo. Students, however, will be confused since there is no key on the page to tell them which color corresponds to which group. Additionally, by using this program, the librarians made it impossible to give directions on how to use each resource. If they had used a tool such as LiveBinders, they would have been able to incorporate a tutorial system into their page.
One of the newer-built high schools in the St. Louis area, Zumwalt East is a state-of-the-art facility that is truly impressive to behold. Honestly, its library leaves a little to be desired, but this post is about websites and not about a library's decor (or lack thereof - as can be seen in the pictures on the home page). Much like the Hazelwood West site, this site did not clearly label its databases, instead going for the term "Electronic Resources." The term is wonderful and it sounds very politically correct, but students sometimes want things spelled out for them, so why not just use the term "Databases?" While the Zumwalt East databases are limited to Gale sources since it is using Gale Sites, there are a few others linked in the bottom left of the page. Overall, the databases are presented in an attractive manner, using a content bar and a virtual bookshelf that is sortable by theme. There is even a note at the top that tells students that they can get an access code from the school librarian for onsite use or at home. My favorite feature is that when a student scrolls the cursor over a resource, a description of its content appears. This feature is truly remarkable, as it would help students decide which resource to use.
I graduated from this school a long while ago, so I decided to check out what was going on at my old stomping grounds. Immediately noticeable is that Howell North does not refer to its library as such, instead using the title of Learning Commons. I would have to investigate further to see if they are following this model or just borrowing the name, but that is for a different time. While the site isn't as attractive as Zumwalt East or Lindbergh's sites with their bells and whistles, the simplicity of this site allows students to easily locate the databases. Instead of color coding the databases or having pop-up descriptions, Howell North has simply organized their databases into informational categories. This allows students to choose a database depending upon the content being researched. This is a nice touch, but with current technology it still leaves a little to be desired, There are no directions on how to use each database, but there is a note at the top of the page that informs students that they can ask a learning commons staff member for login information if they want to use the databases at home.
Pattonville's library webpage is an average looking sub-page of the school's website, with marquee of scrolling pictures at the top. I would have liked to have seen some self-promotion, no matter how shameless on the site. Its boring presence is only rivaled by that of Hazelwood West. However, it is easy to navigate and students will not get lost when looking for the school's selection of databases. A novel touch is that the entire district's database collection can be found on one page. There is a nice informational note at the top of the page that informs parents and students about the availability of the resources from home, which would welcome parents to get in touch with the school's library. The databases are then sorted by both grade level and content, which makes finding the right one to use a snap for students. They are presented in list form, using buttons instead of simple hyperlinks, which makes the site more attractive. It does little, though, to describe the actual contents of each database or inform students on how to use each one.
Analysis
Area-wide, I noticed a couple of similarities between all of these schools' different library websites and how they present their databases. First, and most importantly, they all seem to be accessing content provided by MOREnet, but none are using this content to their full potential. When the State of Missouri is providing its schools with such a vast quantity of resources, why would any library choose not to use what is at its disposal? It may make a site look cluttered if 30 databases are loaded on in a haphazard fashion, but some simple tweaks would make it possible to create an attractive page that was loaded with information. Additionally, it seemed that each school did only one thing extremely well and everything else was a little mediocre. Some schools had an attractive homepage, but made finding the databases to be a pain. Other sites organized the databases well, but did not describe them. My own school did a good job of annotating its databases, but the overall appearance of the site was downright awful.
Of all of the schools that I looked at, I would have to say that Fort Zumwalt East had the best presentation for its databases. While I would change the library's homepage to make finding them slightly easier, I liked the aesthetics of the site as well as its functionality. Having descriptions of what can be found on each database is more than just a nice touch, it is a functional piece of technology that can save a little time in a librarian's busy day. Since they used Gale's site builder, they do not have any of the EBSCO content, but it gives a good example of what could be done with a little effort. Were the librarians at East to design their own page with a similar format and additional content, this would be an ideal site for students to research online. For what I investigated, though, it seems to be of the highest quality.
Project Database
For this week's project, I decided to look at ten different high schools in the St. Louis metropolitan areas to see if they were displaying their databases in a logical and, most importantly, appealing manner to students. The results of my study were highly disappointing. While each school library posted their online databases, only one (Timberland) had directions on how to access them and unfortunately also included the passwords in its instructions. Below, you can find a review of five of the library websites, an overview of my investigation, and a spreadsheet that details which databases can be found online at these ten schools.Five Schools, Five Different Setups
For this section, I decided to include five different schools (listed in no particular order) that set their databases up in different manners. Click on each school's name to access its library's home page.#1 - Hazelwood West High School:
While I do work at Hazelwood West, I was able to approach this review in a completely objective manner. I will not be trying to make my school look like a model program that has a library site that outshines all others. In fact, the opposite may be true. As opposed to labeling the databases as what they are on the library's homepage (which due to district technology department restrictions is as bland as can be), they are labeled as the West Electronic Reference Center. This will only confuse students. Once you get to that page, databases are presented in a confusing list that follows no pattern. The databases can be accessed by clicking either on a picture or a hyperlink, which is a nice touch, but it all appears to be a jumbled mess of confusion. However, at least the links to these databases are annotated, which gives students at least some chance of deciding which one to use.
#2 - Lindbergh High School:
I chose to look at Lindbergh's library website since I know that this school is one of the better performing high schools in the St. Louis area. What first struck me was the ease of use on this website. Things are marked clearly and it is a much more attractive homepage than the list version provided by the Hazelwood Schools website. Clicking on the Databases & Links tab redirects users to a new page where the school's databases can be found. As opposed to using a simple list, the library staff decided to present the links using a web 2.0 tool called Symbaloo. I have used Symbaloo on my class website and in web design classes, so I am familiar with the program. Overall, this was well done, with a good color coding scheme that arranges resources into databases, external links, and ebooks. I realize this because I am familiar with Symbaloo. Students, however, will be confused since there is no key on the page to tell them which color corresponds to which group. Additionally, by using this program, the librarians made it impossible to give directions on how to use each resource. If they had used a tool such as LiveBinders, they would have been able to incorporate a tutorial system into their page.
#3 - Fort Zumwalt East High School:
One of the newer-built high schools in the St. Louis area, Zumwalt East is a state-of-the-art facility that is truly impressive to behold. Honestly, its library leaves a little to be desired, but this post is about websites and not about a library's decor (or lack thereof - as can be seen in the pictures on the home page). Much like the Hazelwood West site, this site did not clearly label its databases, instead going for the term "Electronic Resources." The term is wonderful and it sounds very politically correct, but students sometimes want things spelled out for them, so why not just use the term "Databases?" While the Zumwalt East databases are limited to Gale sources since it is using Gale Sites, there are a few others linked in the bottom left of the page. Overall, the databases are presented in an attractive manner, using a content bar and a virtual bookshelf that is sortable by theme. There is even a note at the top that tells students that they can get an access code from the school librarian for onsite use or at home. My favorite feature is that when a student scrolls the cursor over a resource, a description of its content appears. This feature is truly remarkable, as it would help students decide which resource to use.
#4 - Francis Howell North High School:
I graduated from this school a long while ago, so I decided to check out what was going on at my old stomping grounds. Immediately noticeable is that Howell North does not refer to its library as such, instead using the title of Learning Commons. I would have to investigate further to see if they are following this model or just borrowing the name, but that is for a different time. While the site isn't as attractive as Zumwalt East or Lindbergh's sites with their bells and whistles, the simplicity of this site allows students to easily locate the databases. Instead of color coding the databases or having pop-up descriptions, Howell North has simply organized their databases into informational categories. This allows students to choose a database depending upon the content being researched. This is a nice touch, but with current technology it still leaves a little to be desired, There are no directions on how to use each database, but there is a note at the top of the page that informs students that they can ask a learning commons staff member for login information if they want to use the databases at home.
#5 - Pattonville High School:
Pattonville's library webpage is an average looking sub-page of the school's website, with marquee of scrolling pictures at the top. I would have liked to have seen some self-promotion, no matter how shameless on the site. Its boring presence is only rivaled by that of Hazelwood West. However, it is easy to navigate and students will not get lost when looking for the school's selection of databases. A novel touch is that the entire district's database collection can be found on one page. There is a nice informational note at the top of the page that informs parents and students about the availability of the resources from home, which would welcome parents to get in touch with the school's library. The databases are then sorted by both grade level and content, which makes finding the right one to use a snap for students. They are presented in list form, using buttons instead of simple hyperlinks, which makes the site more attractive. It does little, though, to describe the actual contents of each database or inform students on how to use each one.
Analysis
Area-wide, I noticed a couple of similarities between all of these schools' different library websites and how they present their databases. First, and most importantly, they all seem to be accessing content provided by MOREnet, but none are using this content to their full potential. When the State of Missouri is providing its schools with such a vast quantity of resources, why would any library choose not to use what is at its disposal? It may make a site look cluttered if 30 databases are loaded on in a haphazard fashion, but some simple tweaks would make it possible to create an attractive page that was loaded with information. Additionally, it seemed that each school did only one thing extremely well and everything else was a little mediocre. Some schools had an attractive homepage, but made finding the databases to be a pain. Other sites organized the databases well, but did not describe them. My own school did a good job of annotating its databases, but the overall appearance of the site was downright awful.Of all of the schools that I looked at, I would have to say that Fort Zumwalt East had the best presentation for its databases. While I would change the library's homepage to make finding them slightly easier, I liked the aesthetics of the site as well as its functionality. Having descriptions of what can be found on each database is more than just a nice touch, it is a functional piece of technology that can save a little time in a librarian's busy day. Since they used Gale's site builder, they do not have any of the EBSCO content, but it gives a good example of what could be done with a little effort. Were the librarians at East to design their own page with a similar format and additional content, this would be an ideal site for students to research online. For what I investigated, though, it seems to be of the highest quality.
Spreadsheet data
Follow this link to view a spreadsheet on the databases offered by MOREnet (or explore below):https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApiS0DCdMEIbdENxMVU2ZFNJYUpGMUttTThfa3Zhcnc&usp=sharing